Sarah
by Thomas Linquist
Summary: She was lost, but found her way back, with the help of a sister. This story is now on-going, at the request of the readers. Please bear with me, I will come back to this. The genre may change as the story goes on.
1. Return from a fall

A little exploration into the life of a character that is so often misunderstood or misused by life.

Credit to Disney for creating someone of depth.

* * *

**Return from a Fall**

Sarah was lost. She had been going from town to town, taking what she needed to survive. Just as soon as she got to know a place, she would be discovered and have to flee. The woman was dangerously thin from lack of nourishment and the constant fear. Her once luxurious dark tresses were now filthy and matted, the long finger nails she once prized had long since been broken. In short, she was a shadow of her former self.

Sarah had been the second oldest in a family of five children, raised by loving parents in an upper middle class home in Go City's suburbs. With four active boys, she grew up athletic and smart. If they could do something, she would do it as well, only better. Her brothers included her in everything, even if her big brother had a tendency to be bossy. When they decided to build a tree house in the back yard, she was the only girl to be admitted.

While the five of them were playing one sunny morning, an extraordinary event occurred that would change their lives. Sarah had been acting the part of lookout, and she saw a bright fire in the sky, followed by a loud booming sound. Before she could warn the others, a flaming meteor hit the structure they had built in the tree. When she finally woke up in the hospital, she discovered that she had a green tint to her skin, as if she had been painted for St. Patrick's Day. The multi-hued rock had a similar effect on all five of the youngsters, but she was the only one to remain colored by the event. The change in the boys faded at will.

Along with the altered skin came astounding powers. Herb had developed super strength to go with his blue tinge. Sarah was given the ability to generate plasma energy from her hands and remarkable recuperative abilities. Menlow was able to alter his size at will. The twins, Wes and William, shared their ability to duplicate themselves, just as they shared everything else. Over a period of months, they all learned to control these unusual gifts, at least to the degree that they no longer damaged things.

While here brothers could pass for normal in public, Sarah was permanently marked as different. Her green skin drew stares and taunts from her schoolmates, and she was punished repeatedly for fighting on school property. Her parents taught her to control her temper as best they could, enrolling her in martial arts classes to learn self discipline. It worked, for a time, and she came to terms with her new appearance. The fights stopped.

Then Herb came up with that juvenile idea. Why should they sit on the powers the meteor had given them? Like the comic book characters they had read about in the tree house, they could be heroes. So Team Go was born. Donning costumes designed from the colors each had absorbed, they went out into the city to fight crime. Hego, as Herb called himself, took the role of leader, on the grounds that he was the oldest. Many times Sarah (or Shego if you will) had to improvise a plan to recover situations that he had bungled. They argued frequently, and the others just tried to stay out of the way.

With all of the spirit of youth and no experience to guide them, Team Go made enemies. The boys could hide themselves, but Sarah was easy to trace. Late one night, while they were out chasing the bad guys, a group of armed men entered the house. Team Go became orphaned, and Hego became the head of the family. One night after a particularly vicious argument, Herb yelled at his sister, putting all of the sting he could into his words.

"It's your fault they're dead! You and your freakish green skin. You led that gang to our parents, and now I have to look after your sorry hide." He had picked up the sofa and thrown it at Sarah. She just raised her hand and blew the large piece of furniture to tiny pieces.

"Don't do me any favors! This whole 'super hero' business was your idea. You didn't do anything to protect Mom and Dad. One of these days you are going to start something, and Menlow or the twins will pay the price. Just pray that I come back to pick up the pieces." She hurled a powerful charge of plasma at him before stalking out of the house. She took nothing but her clothes and a picture of the family in happier times. No matter how low she sank, that picture was always close at hand.

Shego made her way as best she could, stealing when she had to, hurting others along the way. Hiding in Go City's underworld, she became an enforcer for a number of criminal organizations. Always one step ahead of Global Justice, she leaned on victims for the mob.

One night, she broke in the door of an apartment in a run down section of the city. The man owed her employers a large amount of money, and her orders were to make an example of him. At first, he had pleaded with Shego, but she merely shoved him to the floor. A single bolt of plasma nearly burned him to death. As she raised her hand again, a scream filled the room. A small girl stood in the door to the bedroom, terrified and crying for her daddy. Her long black hair and pale skin hit home.

"I've become the men who killed my parents." Shego curled up in a corner of the room, her eyes locked on her hands. "Mommy, Daddy! What have I done?" As the police came, she rocked back and forth, crooning to herself.

In return for her testimony, Shego received a reduced sentence. She served her time, and was released five years later. No employer would have her, although she had earned a degree on the inside. Instead of working with children, she wound up on the run again, stealing to get by.

In time, she crossed paths with a strange blue man intent on taking over the world. He hired her for her gifts, and they worked as a team, trying to bring his outrageous plots to fruition. Time after time, they were thwarted by a little red headed princess of a cheerleader and her buffoon of a sidekick. She could easily have blasted the girl in the back and been done with it, but every time she raised her hand, the red hair turned dark, and Sarah Go saw the little girl in the doorway. No, she would not kill.

One day, an old foe found Shego, and using a strange device, changed her. She became Sarah Go again, the woman she had once dreamed of being. She found employment at the school that Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable attended, and begged for another chance. Sarah and Kim became good friends, almost the sisters they had both desired. They went to the mall and shopped together. Kim even agreed to a double date, to help Sarah with her social life. While buying new outfits, the had gotten pictures at a photo booth.

Then they had learned that her brothers were in deep trouble. The device that had given her a normal life had turned them into criminals, wreaking havoc on Go City. Sarah went to use her powers to stop them. In the struggle, the machine was used on her again, and her criminal ways returned. Shego went back to Drakken, and turned her back on the sister she had gained. She burned the photos of them in the booth, feeling that she no longer deserved a normal life and a sister like Kim Possible.

Months later, the Lowardians came, seeking revenge for the humiliation of Warmonga. She and Ron Stoppable had joined forces to free Drakken and the Princess. In the end, she had been beaten, as had the teenage bane of her existence. Only by means of powers she did not understand was the world saved from the wrath of the giant aliens.

Shego had tried to 'go straight' after that, to once again be Sarah. Every time she stepped out of the criminal life, another ghost of her past would come to haunt her. People she had hurt came to get back at her. Thugs escaped from prison all came to take down the lowered woman, and prove how bad they were. She ran, refusing to call on her abilities, even in self defense. She was tired, only alive by the grace of her healing power. She had nowhere left to turn. Sarah Go was as lost as the night she had walked away from her family.

Then she remembered. She began to walk, always in a straight line. There were memories where she was going, a history of traded blows and verbal jabs. They might not have gotten along as they should have, but Sarah knew that at the end of her journey lay redemption. Family forgave family. It wouldn't be easy, for either of them, but somehow, Sarah knew that this was the right path to take. Ever fiber of her being screamed that this was what her parents would have wanted.

Suddenly, late into a cold, rainy night, she was there. The door before her led to her future. No mater what that might be, she vowed to face it head on, to be worthy of what lay on the other side. With a huge effort, she reached up and knocked on the door in front of her. As the sound of footsteps approached, she steeled herself for rejection. The door was swung open.

"Please, help me."

Kim Possible looked at the wet and tortured soul on her doorstep. She reached out a hand and drew Sarah in, putting her arms around her in a warm hug.


	2. The Journey of a Thousand Miles

The story of Sarah continues. She is now in the hands of her former adversary. Will she go through with it, or let her fear of rejection get in the way? Please join her on a journey of self discovery, which begins with small, tentative steps.

As usual, Sarah Go and other characters belong to Disney. I've just borrowed them for a while.

* * *

**The Journey of a Thousand Miles**

Sarah woke up to find herself in a bed she didn't know. How did she get there? She lay with her head on the soft pillows, smelling a faint aroma of strawberries and vanilla, somehow vaguely familiar. Looking around, she had immediate evidence of where she was. On the nightstand there was a picture of Kim Possible and her boyfriend, taken sometime just after their high school graduation. The shelf above the dresser held numerous trophies, the result of years as a cheerleader.

Memory came back, slowly, and softly. Tears welled up in Sarah's eyes as she relived the events of the previous night.

Kim had opened the door of her small apartment, and pulled her in out of the hallway. Her arms had been so warm and supportive about her. The rejection she had feared and prepared herself for never came. It was as if the years of being adversaries had never existed. The hug lasted for several minutes as Sarah had cried herself out, and Kim became soaked from the rain and the tears. It had felt so good to just let it all out.

She had been led to the bathroom, and stripped of the wet clothes that she wore, the only things she had left in the world, other than the picture that she carried at all times. A warm bath took the chill out of her bones. The shampoo that had been used to clean the filth from her long, black hair had smelled of fresh strawberries and vanilla.

That's why that scent was so familiar. She had smelled it during fights with Kim, when they would be wrestling about one lair or another. Deep breaths of it came from the girl when she was held in a strangle hold.

Then Sarah had been taken to this room and tucked into bed. Everything was a blur after that. She had fallen asleep, for a long time, by the position of the sun that filtered through the curtains on the window. She seemed to recall hearing voices as she drifted off. One was youthful and begged that something be done to make things alright. The other had been more mature, but equally feminine, full of care and sympathy.

The door of the room opened slightly, and Kim looked in at the bed. Seeing that her guest was awake, she came in and stood at the side of the bed. She brushed back the locks of hair that had fallen across the pale, slightly greenish face. In the process, she put a hand on her forehead, just as her own mother had once done, so long ago.

"How are you feeling, Shego?" The warmth was still in the young woman's voice.

"Please, it's Sarah. That was... is my real name, who I really am, I hope." She struggled to find her identity, who she really was. Was she the villain that had fought Kim Possible for four long years, or was she Sarah Go, one time teacher to the same girl? She closed her eyes and prayed that she could take that name again, and do it proud. Who was she?

"Sarah, then. Are you feeling okay, no aches or stuffiness?"

"No, I'm just very tired. Maybe if I moved around a little bit..." She tried to get up out of bed, but strong hands pushed her back to the pillows.

"Oh no you don't! You aren't moving until you have been checked out. You were half dead when you knocked on my door, and no friend of mine is going out in your condition." There was a tone of finality in Kim's voice, and she crossed her arms. "I want you to promise me that you won't fight me on this one. Promise?"

"I promise, I...am I really your friend?"

"That's what I said, She... Sarah. We were at odds for a long time, but we always respected each other on a certain level. We've saved each other's lives, at least once." She sat on the side of the bed and pushed a strand of auburn hair back over an ear. "I think it's time we just let ourselves like each other, like we did back in my junior year."

"Oh, Kimmie, I burnt the pictures! Why did I do something so stupid?" She was starting to cry again, when she saw a small smile on Kim's lips. Why did the girl find that so amusing? She'd been a fool.

Kim got up and went to a book that sat on a shelf in the corner. Turning pages, she found what she was looking for, and brought the large scrapbook to the bed. Laying it on Sarah's lap, she pointed. There, carefully preserved on the page, were three pictures, the ones that Kim had kept from the bunch taken in the booth that day, so long ago.

"You kept them? All this time, even when we were fighting each other?"

"We were almost like sisters, Sarah. I didn't want to ever forget that. We may have been fighting, but I always treasured that time we spent together. I'd waited so long for a sister." She reached over the book and grabbed the woman in a tight hug. "I'm glad I've got her back."

There was a light knock on the door. The two women looked up to see Dr. Anne Possible standing in the door. She was dressed in a warm sweater and had her stethoscope over her shoulder and a black bag, of the sort every doctor seemed to carry, in one hand.

"Well, young woman, you are looking much better than you did when I saw you last night. I trust you are behaving yourself?" There was a laugh behind her eyes, even as she took a visual inventory of Sarah's physical condition. She spent a lot of time looking at the dark eyes, as if assessing any neurological trauma that might have escaped her the night before.

Anne shooed her daughter back, and took her place on the bed. Putting the book out of her way, she then gave Sarah a thorough check. She wasn't thrilled with the thinness of her patient, and fretted over the condition of her skin and hair. Still, there wasn't any permanent damage. Time and care would set it right. Kim had insisted that the woman be allowed to stay with her, rather than taken to the hospital. She had been afraid that maybe Shego was a wanted woman again, and was waiting on enquiries to Global Justice, quietly, before doing anything.

"You seem to be on the mend, Shego, but you are not to try to do anything until you have gotten more of your strength back."

"It's Sarah, Mom. Her name is Sarah Go."

"My apologies, Miss Go." Mrs. Possible stood up and turned to look at Kim. "If she develops a fever, I want you to call Dr. Gruberman at once. I'm a brain surgeon, not a family doctor. Daniel is the best in Middleton, and you can count on him to be, discreet." She walked out of the room.

"What is going to happen to me when I am better? Will you turn me over to the police? I haven't exactly led an honest life since I last saw you. I wasn't _caught_ doing anything, but I did steal things to get by." Sarah was determined to face whatever punishment was coming her way. She had done wrong, and would pay the price. How else could she be worthy of the care she was now receiving?

"You haven't hurt anyone, and you only took what you needed. I'm not going to let it out of this room. It's time to come in out of the cold, Sarah." Kim came back to the side of the bed and helped her sit up against the headboard. "You have a long journey ahead of you. But I'll help you take the first step."

"As Sensei used to say, 'A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.' Time to lace up your shoes Sarah Go." A blond man came into the room, balancing a covered dish on a tray. A steaming mug of tea was next to it. On his heels, a small pink rodent entered, carrying a single rose bud in a vase. "And you can't go anywhere on an empty stomach."

Ron Stoppable put the tray on the bedside table and pulled up the lid. The aroma of chicken broth hit everyone like a wave, causing all of them to take a deep breath. He took a spoon of the soup and blew on it, holding it out for Sarah to sample. The warmth hit her stomach and eased some of the cramping hollowness she had felt for so long.

"It's my grandmother's recipe. Guaranteed to cure what ails you. You don't even have to eat it to cure a cold, germs run when you mention it." Another spoonful followed, and he would have continued to feed her like an infant, if Kim hadn't intervened.

"She's a big girl now, Ron. I think she can manage a bowl of soup on her own."

"Oh, yeah, sorry about that Sarah."

She looked up into into the deep brown eyes. He had remembered her name, even though she'd only used it a few times in his hearing. No wonder Kim had held onto him so long, he was special. "Thank you, Ron. Not just for the soup. You just called me Sarah, like I had never spent all those years fighting with you all." She smiled at Rufus as she accepted the pink flower that he offered. For a rodent, he was something special too.

"That was over a year ago, and I remember Miss Go as being the nicest teacher Middleton High ever had."

Yes, this was where Sarah Go needed to be. It wouldn't be easy, but like the young couple standing over her had said, one step at a time. The first step was to follow doctor's orders and get well. Ron's soup would go a long way. Then she could repay these people for their kindness.


	3. Brotherly LoveOr Not

Sarah is on the mend. It's time to find some roots. Will she be able to go back, in order to go forward? A lot depends on four people that she never thought to see again.

The standard ownership disclaimers apply.

* * *

**Brotherly Love...Or Not**

Sarah sat in the booth at Bueno Nacho and waited. Every few minutes, she looked at the watch on her wrist. Each span seemed like hours, though it was mere moments that passed. Between the watch and the door, her eyes were in constant motion. She would have jumped out of her seat and bolted, if that had really been an option. The invitation had been sent, and now she had to see it through.

"Journey of a thousand miles...", she repeated to herself under her breath. Over the past three weeks, it had become something of a mantra to the raven haired beauty. When she was ready to give up, she would whisper the words to herself, and her faith would be renewed. She had been given the gift of a fresh start, and she would not throw it away. Kim and Ron would be proud to call her their friend. Each step was one more toward earning that privilege. This was her chosen road.

Either Kim or Ron had been with her at all times, or at least within easy call. The blond man and his unusual little friend had waited on her like a queen for three days since she had woken up in the bedroom of Kim's apartment. Warm meals slowly started to work their magic, and Sarah felt her energy levels rise. With each breakfast, Rufus brought her a fresh rose bud, a bright yellow, the color of loyal friendship. While he no longer tried to feed her anymore, Ron stood and watched until every last bite of the wonderful meals he cooked for her were gone.

Eventually, she was allowed out of bed. She protested that it would do her good to get up and exercise joints too long neglected, except for trips to the bathroom. Besides, she had been taking up the comfortable bed long enough. Between her classes at Upperton University and caring for her, Kim was going to wear herself out. Sleeping on the couch in the living room was not helping matters.

When it was clear that Sarah was improving nicely, both members of Team Possible went back to the hard job of being university freshmen. Kim was studying sociology and political science, with the goal of becoming a diplomat. Ron had forgone the culinary arts degree most had expected, and gone into business management and marketing. He could already cook circles around the instructors at Upperton U anyway. They had been getting lecture notes from friends in their classes. Fortunately, Monique was taking the same marketing course as Ron, with a major in Textile Arts.

As she grew stronger, Sarah began to help out around the apartment. She bacame a regular sight, in some of Kim's old workout clothes (rather a tight fit in some areas) going about the building with laundry or taking out the recycling. It felt so good to be useful again, to be earning the her keep. It had been so long.

A week after she had arrived on Kim's doorstep, Anne Possible pronounced her fit enough to start looking for a more long term solution to the problem of meeting her needs. Ron had dipped liberally into his reserve funds, the quarterly income from his naco royalties. Monique had just about died when he asked her to do the rounds of the boutiques with Sarah.

"You need something nice for job interviews, Sarah.", Ron had said when she protested his spending money on her. "I like to think of it as practice for when Hana gets to be a teenager. I'm gonna spoil her rotten."

So, Sarah was outfitted in some of the finest clothes Club Banana had to offer. Cream color blouses and faded blue jeans made it into a spare drawer. Dark skirts and mint green sweaters hung in Kim's closet. Just when she was beginning to think that they were done, Ron would spot something she just had to have.

"There!", Monique had cried, putting bags down in the middle of the living room. "You are all set, girl. GKED!"

"GKED?" Sarah looked at Kim.

"That's Monique-speak for 'Go Knock 'Em Dead'. One of these days I am so going to have to print a Monique to English dictionary."

Ron had walked in while Sarah was diplaying the new acquisitions to Kim, who hadn't been able to go on the trip. "Well, that's more like it. No sister of mine is going to walk around in less than the best!"

Suddenly, Sarah collapsed into a chair. Her eyes filled with tears and ragged sobs escaped from under the hair that had fallen forward to cover her face. Her shoulders shook with the force of her emotions. Instantly, Rufus was on her lap, dabbing at her cheeks with a tissue from the box on the table next to her. "Oh, s'alright.", he squeaked at her, patting at one of her hands as she took the tissue from him.

"I'm sorry, you've all been so good to me. I just got thinking about my own brothers. We haven't spoken in so long, and I miss them something awful. The twins have probably graduated from high school already." She raised red eyes and looked sorrowfully at those assembled.

"Maybe it's time for that next step." Ron sat on the arm of the chair next to her. "If you feel ready, we can get you together with your brothers. I'm not sure just how it would go," He put a hand on her shoulder, reassuring her. "but it might be time for a reunion."

It was decided that the meeting, if Team Go were agreeable, should take place in a public setting. After the events of a couple of years ago, tempers might still be simmering. Go Tower wasn't exactly neutral ground.

Invitations were sent by e-mail, in the name of Team Possible. All they said was that someone needed to talk to them, discreetly. Kim, Ron and Rufus were watching from a dark corner booth.

At the appointed hour, a multi-hued van pulled into the parking lot. Four men got out of the vehicle and approached the door. Herb Go pulled open the door, turning sideways to admit his rather over-large shoulders. Menlow strolled in after him, with the twins, Wes and William, hard on his heals. They looked around, and saw Sarah sitting at the booth.

"You!" Herb growled deep in his throat. "I should have known you would come crawling back."

"Herb, take it easy on her. She's family!" The twins got between their oldest brother and the woman they hadn't seen in so long.

"She walked out on us, guys. As far as I'm concerned, she isn't family anymore." The look of contempt on his face was enough to melt steel. "She actually tried to take our powers. By all rights, I ought to..." His hands began to glow with blue energy. The twins looked at each other nervously. It was just like before Sarah had left, except this time she hadn't done anything to deserve the way she was being treated. Even Menlow, normally so self-centered, stepped into the bigger man's path.

"Please, don't fight. If you don't want to see me, I'll go."

"Alright, Hego, stand down." Kim stepped up behind the Go City crime fighter. For all that he towered over the younger woman, she wasn't the least bit intimidated. "Sarah came here because she misses you guys. She has started to turn her life around, and wants you to be part of that. Don't you miss your sister at all?" She glared daggers at Herb Go, as if telling him to act like a gentleman, if not a brother.

"I don't need her. She left of her own free will. We owe her nothing!" With that, Herb turned on his heel and stalked out to the van.

Menlow looked after him for a couple of seconds, and turned back to the booth. By that time, the twins were sitting on either side of Sarah, telling her how much they had missed her. Menlow took the seat across from them. Ron stepped up behind his girlfriend and they both watched as the van peeled out of the parking lot.

"Well, since you are going to be here until Kim and I can arrange a ride, who's up for some nachos, extra cheese?"

Rufus immediately popped out of his pocket. "Yum mm, cheese!"

"Guys, are you sure you want to stick with me? I mean, Herb is right, I left you. He's looked after you since our parents died." There were tears in her eyes, and she sniffled, looking from one young man to another. She had already caused hard feelings when she left, she wouldn't put a wedge into what was left of her family. "I'll understand."

"Sarah, Herb's been a bossy idiot all of our lives." Wes began.

"You always made sure we got out of what we got into with our skins in one piece." William finished.

Menlow chewed at his lower lip for a minute. "We haven't been a team in a long time, sis. It would be different if I had been in charge of things."

Ron and Kim beat a hasty retreat to the service counter and chatted with Ned while their order of an extra large combo plate was being put together. "What do you think?" Kim looked back to the table, watching her new found sister. "Do they have a chance?"

"KP, family will usually find a way. Hego may be a lost cause, but I'm sure of the twins." He grinned mischieviouly. "They remind me of Jim and Tim, only a little older. Don't you think?"

"You..." Kim swatted at him .

That night, Sarah lay on the couch in Kim's living room.

She had gotten caught up with how the boys had been doing. Menlow's new job, the twins graduation from high school. There was so much she had missed. All of the intelligence at her fingertips when she was working for Drakken, and she had never thought to keep a close eye on what was going on back in Go City. Well, she had been looking out for herself for so long. She had counted on Herb to look after the boys. Maybe it was time to start being there.

Another step on the journey had been taken. It was time to move on again. Sarah had imposed on Kim's kindness long enough. Time to find some work and a place to call her own.


	4. She's Gonna Make it After All

Once again I want to give Disney their props. They own it, I want it, but I'll live.

A big shout out to my beta reader again. A lot of this story could not happen without his help. Rondo, you are a scholar and a gentleman. Please note that Rondo and his significant other have been given cameo appearances here. Names have been changed to protect the not so innocent. (Just kidding Rondo)

* * *

**She's Gonna Make it After All**

Sarah walked into the classroom and set her books down on the large desk at the front of the room. Looking around at all of the posters on the wall, advocating proper dental hygiene and reading habits, it was a little overwhelming. Going from dark lairs to middle school class rooms was a big change. This time, she didn't have old enemies and the attitudinator to blame (or thank) for it. This had been her choice.

It certainly hadn't been easy getting here. The Tri-cities School Board had been very reluctant to hire a woman who had been in prison several times. Pardons didn't mean much to some parents, they had told her. She had gone to the interviews carrying sealed envelopes that Kim had given her that morning. The Board committee had opened each one, and read the enclosed documents very carefully. After an hour of private discussion, they had come back and agreed to hire her on a probationary basis. If she lived up to her recommendations, she would be kept on. If not...

They had given her back the letters that she had handed them, after taking copies. When she got out into the sunshine, she had looked at them for the first time.

First had been a letter on Global Justice letterhead. It informed the reader that Sarah Mae Go had been fully pardoned for previous crimes on the basis of her 'selfless act of courage' in the defeat of the Lowardian invasion two years ago. She was to be considered a free citizen, with all of the rights that entailed. It had gone on to indicate that Global Justice was willing to take full responsibility for that decision. Sarah had stared at the signature at the bottom of the letter for several minutes. Dr. Director Betty herself had given her endorsement.

The next letter had been from one Dr. Drew Lipsky (also pardoned) that gave her a glowing reference for loyalty and ability. He had listed her technical accomplishments, without reference to how they had been used. Drew had insisted that she was capable of handling discipline problems fairly and that she would never allow anyone in her charge to come to harm. In short, Sarah Go was the model employee, and well suited to the shaping of young minds.

That had caused her a moment's pause.

After the ceremony at the United Nations, honoring them for their efforts on behalf of the world against the alien invasion, she and Drew had begun a serious relationship. They had been happy, for a time, but while he was getting his doctorate in electronics, they had drifted apart. When her past started coming back to haunt her, she hadn't wanted to take away all that "Dr. D." had accomplished. She had left him, and cried for many nights.

Now, here was a letter that proved he did not hate her for leaving.

The third envelope had contained the recommendation of Dr. Anne Possible, staff neurosurgeon at the Middleton Memorial Hospital. She had informed the Board of Education that it was her opinion that Sarah was a mentally fit and proper young woman. If the board were so inclined as to give her the chance, they would find that she was exactly what they wanted in the way of a teacher for young adolescents.

It was the last letter that made her break down and cry. Below the Team Possible logo; Kim, Ron and Wade had each written about what they knew of Sarah Go. They didn't gloss over her past, but instead used it as a starting point. She had changed, they said, and deserved a chance to make good for what she had done. They had added their own bond to that of Global Justice. She was family, they had said, and they would be there to back her.

The last paragraph of the letter had been a request. Team Possible had asked that they be able to call on Sarah for help as the need arose. She had abilities that the team could not be without. Kim had promised to give as much notice as possible before requesting Sarah's help, and to keep disturbances to a minimum.

Team Possible didn't just believe in her, they WANTED her!

Now, here she was, ready to start out once more. This time it was for keeps. Reaching into the large tote bag she had slung over her shoulder, she pulled out a picture in a gold leaf frame. The entire Go family smiled out at her. Placing it on a corner of the desk, she kissed her fingers and touched the images of her parents. "I'll make you proud of me again." she whispered to spirits that she knew were watching and listening.

The bell rang, and young boys and girls filed into the room, alone and in small groups. One boy wandered from desk to desk, looking at the name tags that she had placed on the surfaces the day before, when the room had been assigned to her. She couldn't help but smile at the olive colored cargo style shorts he was wearing, and the slightly awkward way that he walked. For all the world, she might have been looking at a younger version of Ron Stoppable. He finally found his seat in the third row, and sat down next to a young brunette girl. They started whispering to each other with shy glances.

When the second bell rang, she rapped on the large wooden desk with her pen, and looked out on a sea of faces. 'Please don't let them see how nervous I am!' she silently prayed. "Good morning ladies and gentlemen. I'm your new homeroom teacher, Miss Go." Warily turning her back on the students, she wrote her name in beautiful cursive letters on the blackboard. She knew from experience just how tricky teenage boys and girls could be. "All I ask is that you keep quiet during announcements, and answer with a dignified 'here' or 'present' when I call your name. Beyond that, just keep it to a dull roar." There were a few giggles here and there in the room.

Sarah began calling names. She called the name "Paul Garvin!", and received a raised hand from the boy she had noticed earlier. The girl in the blue shirt next to him looked puzzled for a moment.

"Present, Miss Go, but..." He never got to finish the comment, as she went on with the attendance sheet in her hand.

As she was going down the list, she heard the two teens whispering back and forth to each other. "Mr. Garvin, Miss Barton, is there something you would like to share with the rest of us?" Both turned beet red in the face and shook their heads.

"No, ma'am!" the Garvin boy replied. It took all of her control not to giggle when she saw the young lad gulping repeatedly, and somehow becoming even more colored in the face.

At last, the roll had been called, and the morning announcements gotten through. There had even been a reasonable amount of respect during the Pledge of Allegiance. After that, she had left the kids to their own devices, but noticed that many of them kept glancing in her direction.

Well, that wasn't so hard to figure out. How often does a twelve or thirteen year old meet a woman with green skin, outside of a science fiction convention? Deciding to head this one off, she stood up and again tapped her pen on the desk.

"I can see that we have a few things to talk about as long as we have a few minutes. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, my skin is green, and it's a long way to St. Patrick's Day." There was some nervous laughter around the room. "The coloring is the result of an accident when I was just a little younger than you. It left me a little, um, different." Raising her right hand, she ignited a tiny bit of her plasma energy. Gasps ran around from one desk to another. "Don't worry, it's completely under control. All it means is that I'm different. Aren't all of us different in one way or another?"

There was a universal nod of agreement at that question. If there was anything Sarah Go understood about people this age, it was the feeling of alienation. "Then let's just all agree that our differences are what make us special, and give us something to contribute to the community." There were a few doubting glances, but even more silent sighs of relief. Paul Garvin, in particular, seemed to relax a little bit. Sarah let the glow in her hand go out.

When the bell rang a third time, Paul came up to the desk.

"Miss Go, can I speak to you for a second?"

Sarah gave a bit of her old smirk and responded, "I don't know, can you?" She winked at the young man in front of her. 'He looks a little lost, he's got to be new here.'

"Sorry, ma'am. May I please speak with you, about my name?"

"Certainly."

"My full name is Paul Ronald Garvin, ma'am. I prefer to go by my middle name, Ron." He looked up into her green eyes nervously.

"Okay, Ron, but only if you drop the 'Ma'am' and call me Miss Go." This kid was so like Stoppable it was uncanny. She was going to have to watch him.

"Thank you, Miss Go." Ron turned and hurried (without running) out of the room, headed for his first class.

Her first encounter with students had gone better than she had hoped. She smiled as the first of her geography students began to file in and take seats. Pulling her first day plans out of the tote bag that sat behind her desk, she looked into the picture once more. "I'm going to make it, Mom and Dad. I'm gonna make it after all!"


	5. It Happens Here Too

Disclaimer: Sarah (Under the name Shego at least.) and the Kim Possible characters are all the property of Disney.

This is a story that Sarah has been whispering to me for some time. Ron and Leanne were just supposed to be cameo characters, but they became more while I was writing "Possible Pregnancies". You may also recognize the character of Amy Rice. She was from "A Week in the Pocket". Ron, Leah, thank you so much, and I hope I do you justice.

I would like to thank author and mentor extraordinaire, cpneb. He has kindly consented to let me use parts of his work, namely Blaze-IT and the wonderful pairing that is Jade. You have been a good friend, and a good guide, cpneb. I can never repay that, no matter how hard I try.

* * *

**It Happens Here Too**

Sarah Go was just sitting down to lunch when the principal of Middleton Middle School walked into the staff lounge. She wore a deep frown, which spoiled the youthful appearance she normally sported. Natasha Ryder was in her late forties, but her wide, bright eyes and freckles made her look as if she were in her early thirties, the same as Sarah. Tasha (as her friends and coworkers called her) was one of those eternally cheerful people. Not today.

Tasha walked up to the long table where her newest teacher was sitting. Pulling out a chair she sank into it with a weary sigh.

"Tasha, what's the matter?" Sarah put down the spinach salad she had been getting ready to eat.

"We have a big problem on our hands, Sarah, and I don't know where to go from here. The police have been called, and are going to search every square inch of the school. This sort of thing happens in places like Go City and Los Angeles. Not here!" By this time, the other teachers had gathered around. One had his hand lightly on the woman's shoulder. She had fostered a feeling of family in her school, and now that family was coming together.

"Start from the beginning, Tasha. Why are the police coming? What are they looking for?"

With difficulty, Tasha pulled herself together. She took a deep breath and looked around the table. "One of the students, Jeremy Smythe, is in the hospital. When he went home yesterday afternoon, he was later than usual, and was sweating heavily. At first, his mother didn't think too much of it, that he had just been playing. Then he started having convulsions." She was threatening to break down again, but pulled her shoulders back. "When they got him to the hospital, they found out that he had been taking drugs. Ecstasy. His body temperature was sky high and his system was in shock."

Every one of the teachers was in a similar state, by now. These were very young teens and preteens. How had the world of street drugs gotten into their lives already?

Sarah had known it was going to happen. Her time with the criminal element had taught her that evil often preys on the most innocent. Now it was after "her kids", and she wasn't about to stand for that. Her eyes blazed, and there was the tiniest glow at her fingertips. Quickly, she clamped down on her temper, burying her shapely nails into her palms until they hurt.

"Is the boy going to be alright?" First thing first. 'Journey of a thousand miles...', she thought to herself.

"It was close, but he pulled through early this morning. He told his mother and a police detective that he got the drugs here, in the school yard. He wouldn't give a name. They told him that if he ever said anything, they would find his family, his little sister!" Now Tasha did begin to sob. Her family was being threatened, and it just might be from within. The staff looked around the table at each other, helpless to find a way to fight back.

Reaching into her tote bag, Sarah felt around. Kim had presented it to her just last week, when they had gotten together over coffee. She was a member of Team Possible. The green Kimmunicator (mark III) fit perfectly into her hand.

Pushing the button, she was immediately connected to Wade Load, who was sitting at the terminal in his office at the Middleton Instititute of Science and Technology. Since finally coming out of his room, he had gone to work as a professor of computer sciences. Much to the amusement (and chagrin) of his more "mature" students.

"Hi, Sarah? What do you need?" It was as simple as that. Wade had immediately accepted her as a member of the team, and if she called, he assumed that it was urgent. It was as if her past had been erased from the hard drive of his own memory.

"Wade, I need to meet with the team. This evening. We have a major problem brewing here in Middleton, and I don't think the local authorities are going to be entirely up to it." She looked down at the tiny screen. A year ago, this would have been impossible for her. It would never even occur to her to ask. Now, she had friends and family she could count on. "I need some help, and I know who I can trust."

"I'm on it." The young man turned to his keyboard and started pushing keys at a dizzying speed. "As soon as I have a time, I'll call you back. Do you want to meet at Kim's, or the warehouse?"

With the new funds from the team's benefactor, there was a new headquarters being put together. An old warehouse on the edge of town was in the process of being refitted to serve as the heart of Team Possible. It wasn't as obvious as Go Tower, but had the facilities that the expanded team required. Unfortunately, it was still months away from completion. The walls were up, for the most part, and the wiring was adequate for normal purposes. Of course, nothing about Team Possible was "normal", which Sarah figured was Ron Stoppable's influence.

"Better make it Kim's, Wade. And we need Joss there too, if she can. This is going to involve her one way or another."

"Okay, I'll get things set up."

When the Kimmunicator shut down, there were stares around the room. She had forgotten for a moment just where she had been, and concentrated on what she felt needed to be done. All of her coworkers knew who she had been, and who she now was associated with, but that wasn't the same as seeing that link go into action. She flushed slightly and looked around. It was a little disconcerting, all of this attention.

Sarah turned to the woman in the chair beside her. "Look, Tasha, you do everything the police ask you to. They will try to find the source." As she got up from her chair, a grim look fell over her face. 'I'm going to make sure nobody else gets hurt by the scum!' She walked out of the room, not really sure of just where she was going.

In the end, she wound up on the school yard. The kids were all hanging around in little groups, or playing ball on the football field out back. She watched as they ran around, yelling and screaming, basically being kids. All the while, her mind was racing. Which one was going to be next? Who was giving poison to them, and how was she going to stop them? Again, her fists curled and her eyes blazed with anger. No, it wasn't going to happen again. Not if Sarah Mae Go had any say in the matter.

xx

Sitting across the yard from the door their homeroom teacher had emerged from, three young teens were talking about the latest gossip around the yard. One of their classmates, Jeremy Smythe, had collapsed at home. Rumour had it that somebody had beaten him. Another story was that he had accidentally taken the wrong medicine. The more believable version was that he had intentionally taken something, that he had bought drugs from one of the older students. All three had heard of things like that.

Ron was looking around. Who was pushing the stuff? If he had known, maybe Jeremy wouldn't be in the hospital right now. "Look, guys, we gotta find out what happened. With all the stories floating around, he could just be sick. You know how these things get going." Ron Garvin's parents had taught him to always get the facts before jumping into anything, but to go all in once he did jump.

The blonde girl next to him sighed. "Just how are we supposed to do that? I sit behind Jeremy in Miss Go's second period Geography class. Do I just walk up and ask her if she knows anything?" Amy Rice was still a little intimidated by her green skinned teacher. A couple of years earlier, she had been rescued by none other than Kim Possible and her team when she got lost in Aspen. She hadn't been able to see Miss Go as anyone other than "Shego" for a long time after meeting her. Too much time spent following the adventures of Team Possible.

"Well, it beats the heck out of guessing."

"Look, I'll ask if you want, Amy." Leanne Barton spoke up. She was the more outgoing of the trio, and generally did the speaking for "the three musketeers" as some had taken to calling them. "Ron is right. We can't just go around adding to the stories, and if there is a problem, somebody has to find out." Where Amy was more inclined to look to others for direction, Leanne was always ready to do her own digging. Occasionally this got her into scrapes she hadn't planned on, but since meeting Ron, she hardly ever got hurt anymore.

"Tomorrow, Lea." Ron said, using his nickname for his best friend. "All three of us will ask. That way we know the truth, or at least what 'they' think we should know."

xx

At eight o'clock that very evening, Sarah Go was once more at the apartment door of her former nemesis. Before the invasion that forced the two women to work together, it would have been ridiculous to even consider the possibility of them being on the same team. Then she had hit rock bottom, and realized who she really could count on, who really could do anything, even forgive. If anyone could help protect the kids that she had come to care so much about, it was Kim Possible and her friends.

The door opened within a hearbeat of her knock, and she was pulled in. Strong arms went around her shoulders and almost lifted her off of the floor. It was hard to believe that Ron Stoppable had gone from a scrawny little buffoon to the strong and agile young man who was hugging her. A part of her wanted to draw strength from that embrace, but her pride and independence won the battle. Even as she returned the gesture, she refused to lean into it.

"Hi, Ron. Thanks for the hug, I needed that." Sarah looked into chocolate brown eyes. They were so expressive. Right now they were filled with concern.

"Sarah, in the years that we've known each other, you have only ever called for help twice. Once when Drakken was taken by the Lowardians, and when you came here. If you need to call, you have to be upset."

They walked into the living room from the foyer. The place was already crowded. Wade was at the kitchen table with Jim and Tim Possible. All three boys were staring at the computer screen as if hypnotized. Joss, Monique and Zita Flores were on the couch. They were in an animated debate over the latest designs that Club Banana had out.

Kim walked out of the kitchen and met her new friend.

"What's the sitch, Sarah? Wade asked us all here, and said that there was a problem, and you thought the team was needed." She guided Sarah to a comfortable chair, and everyone gathered around, taking whatever seating was available.

"One of my students almost died last night, because somebody has been selling drugs on the school grounds. The police have been called, but I don't think they are going to be able to do much. The scum threatened to hurt the kid's family if he gave names." She looked around the room. There were expressions ranging from shock to anger. All of them looked concerned.

"What would you like us to do, Sarah? Granted, we aren't official detectives or anything, but the team is not without resources." Wade looked over to Joss. "Blaze-IT has already done some work with the Montana authorities and the DEA. I could call in some favors and get extra attention put on the case."

"He's right, ya know. With the stuff in the bunker back home, we kin track the stuff to make the junk, and even the fella's that are tryin' to transport it. All we need is to know where it ends up, and we might be able to track it back to the source." Joss was still fighting the accent of her childhood. Being around Wade had eliminated most of the western drawl, but not all of it.

"I just want to find the guy who sold it to Jeremy. I want to make sure he is never able to do anything like that again, to any of the kids I teach." Sarah's eyes blazed, and her hands had begun to glow. There was a deep growl in her voice. It was like Shego had returned, and was intent on doing some serious damage.

"Sarah." Ron spoke softly and put a hand on the woman's shoulder. "I can understand that you are angry, and that you want to protect the kids. This isn't the way to do it. This is vengeance, not justice." Ignoring the heat, and radiating his own blue energy, he reached for her hands. "Think about it for a moment. Do you think that hurting one person on the bottom of the ladder is going to stop the drug trade?"

For all that he spoke softly, his words reached into the very core of Sarah Go. She thought back to the time she had spent working for the mob in Go City. There was a definite pecking order, with the real heads of the organization always hidden in the shadows of phony companies and legal red tape. She had never met anyone above mid level of the food chain. For all that, she still wanted to take out the legs of this particular spider.

"I can't let another child get hurt because the police can't get at these people." She looked down to her hands. They had stopped glowing, but Ron's were still there, radiating a faint blue light. It was calming. "I want to do what is right, but I don't know if I can."

Kim stood up. "You will do what you have to, Sarah. I know that you are a good woman, and that you care about these kids." She frowned. "The problem is that we haven't been asked to help. If we step on the wrong toes, _we_ could be charged with interference in an investigation. That isn't how Team Possible works. We have to wait to be called."

"But I'm already there, I'm asking for help!" Dismay took over Sarah's pale face.

"Yes, but you are a member of the team now. It's a conflict of interest." Wade was up to date on all of the legislation, and had a bit of a run in with the authorities in Montana after charging his way through the DCI computers. For a while it had looked like he would be spending time in a correctional facility.

"Look, Sarah, you kin look around the school and try to find the varmint that is bringin' the stuff in. You get us that, an' we kin get the rest of the organization." Joss was more than eager to stop the drug trade, but she wanted the entire group, not just the dealer.

"Alright, I'll keep my hands out of it. I just hope you find them before I do." She knew that the team was right. She had just spent so much time doing for herself, as she wanted. Now she had responsibilities. "I can't promise not to act if I see somebody threatening one of my kids."

Kim held one of Sarah's hands. Ron held the other. The entire team gathered around the trio.

"We have your back in this, Sarah, but you have to play by the rules. Same as the rest of us."

There it was. The collective hands of Team Possible were tied. She would do what she could. It might put a rift between her and her new friends, but she would try her best to work within the limits of the team. Something had to be done, and it had to be done soon.


	6. From the Inside

The usual legal disclaimers apply. Kim Possible and associated characters are the property of the Disney Company. I have no rights to them beyond what allows. All other characters, situations and events are either the product of my imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance, well, you get the drift.

I was tempted to take this chapter a little farther, but decided to put the players in motion and just see what happens.

**From the Inside**

As it turned out, the three friends did not have to ask about their classmate. An assembly was called in the school gymnasium at announcements the next morning.

Natasha Ryder had composed herself after her lapse in the staff lounge the day before. She walked up to the podium on the stage. There was the usual delay while the students sorted themselves out. Behind her, the staff of the school, with the exception of the chief custodian, were lined up, as if providing reinforcement. Tasha had decided that they needed to present a united front to combat such a serious issue. Next to her at the microphone was Officer Hobble, of the Middleton Police Department.

"People, please, let's have some quiet here." Once set on the path of a decision, Principal Ryder was not one to be swayed. This was her school, and she would have everyone remember that fact. Her apparent youth might have been a problem in her position, if she didn't compensate with strength of personality.

"As some of you will have heard, Jeremy Smythe is not with us today. He was taken to the hospital the night before last. He nearly died because he had taken drugs. Drugs that were bought here, on school property." There were murmurs and looks being cast about among the students sitting on the gym floor. "That's right. He got them here, and somebody knows something." This last statement resulted in even more rumblings out in the crowd of adolescents.

"While we are here, there are police and dogs searching the school. Your parents were informed yesterday in the letters that we gave to each of you here. If there are drugs present, they will be found." A number of faces out in the room paled a little at that. "If you have anything that might help us in finding out where these drugs are coming from, you can come to any of the teachers, or to Officer Hobble. He will be in the school, off and on, until we sort it all out."

From her place on the stage, Sarah Go had been watching the students. She was well versed in all of the signs of stress and deceit. How many times had she watched marks insist that they would pay back the mob loan sharks she had worked for in her early days of crime? The first thing she saw was the pale faces among a few of the older students. A couple had looked ready to bolt when they found out that the school was being searched. She made a mental note to have a word or two with Officer Hobble. When she looked to where her own home room class was sitting, she noticed a girl who didn't really belong there.

Amy Rice was sitting to one side of Ron Garvin. On his other side, Leanne Barton was leaning forward, whispering to her. For his part, Ron was looking around the gym. Following his gaze, she saw that it was aimed in the general direction of the older students. There was a questioning expression on his face, as if he were trying to puzzle something out. Then it hit her. _"He's looking for somebody with guilt written on their face!" _This was confirmed when she saw him look at one of the students that she had noticed. He gave a satisfied little nod of his head, and proceeded to whisper with his companions. When Leanne happened to look her way, Sarah resumed her search of the room, pretending she had never noticed the three of them.

_"I'm going to have to watch those three."_ Sarah considered them carefully. It was impossible not to compare them with a certain red haired woman that she knew. _"If they aren't very careful, they are going to get themselves into something very dangerous." _It was one thing to want to do what you knew was right. It was something else to start poking around dangerous people. There was no doubt in her mind that the kind of people who would bring drugs into the school and threaten a child's family if he talked were capable of just about anything.

Office Hobble took the Principal's place at the lectern. "Look, this is a serious problem, kids. A boy just about died two nights ago. All we know is that he bought the pills he took from somebody here. If we work together, we can find out where it's coming from and put a stop to it now, before anybody else gets hurt." The portly officer looked around the room. It was pretty clear that nobody was going to come forward in front of everybody. That wasn't exactly unexpected. It didn't help that he was talking down to the kids, as if they didn't know what was at stake.

Sarah and Tasha exchanged quick looks. Both of them knew that it was pointless trying to get a young person to talk about something they didn't want to. Especially if you treated them like they were five. It was all Sarah could do not to roll her eyes at the farcical expression on Hobble's face. The guy was a good honest cop, but he couldn't read people no matter how open they were. It was one of the reasons that Drakken had set up shop in Middleton in the first place. The cops never even questioned the lair or a hover car zipping around the city. It was pretty clear that they would have to leave the search to the police and deal with the students themselves.

An officer came to the edge of the stage and gestured at Hobble, who relinquished the microphone. As he walked over to the officer, Tasha again spoke to the mass of kids sprawled on the floor of the gym.

"Look, you've all heard the lectures, both here and at home. I'm not going to repeat them. Just remember this, if you know something and don't tell us, you could be letting somebody in this room get seriously hurt, possibly even die." Tasha let that one sink in for a moment. The diminutive woman made eye contact with as many students as possible. It was well known that Ms. Ryder was a tough but fair woman who cared about what happened to others. If you had a problem, you could always go to her, and never worry about being judged. "It's up to you people. You aren't little kids anymore that have to be watched every second of every day. Each of you is capable of doing what is right."

Sarah saw three faces down on the floor. Leanne Barton was nodding in agreement with what her principal was saying. Amy Rice was looking nervous, but determined. Ron's face was a mask. He might have looked to most like he was not paying attention. It was the subtle body language that struck Sarah. The shoulders were tensed up, and one hand was a fist, barely hidden next to his leg. This did not bode well. As much as she liked being a member of Team Possible, she knew that some quests for justice came with a very steep price tag. Getting angry was not going to solve the problem.

Suddenly, the words that she had been hearing at the team meeting the night before hit her. If she took out the first person in the chain of this drug operation, they would lose everything. The real scum would just pack up and move on, and some other child would get hurt. Worse, they could decide to make an example of a random student or staff member. As much as it hurt, she was going to have to be patient, watch and find somebody who needed to be brought to answer for crimes committed. She had to channel her anger and fears. Looking at Ron Garvin, she made up her mind to share her epiphany.

Officer Hobble returned to the stage. Beckoning to Tasha, he looked out over the floor. He spoke to her in a low tone, so that only she and a few of the teachers on stage could hear. Ed Convey, the man who had put his hand on Tasha's shoulder the day before was listening quite intently.

"We've come up blank. The dogs signalled at three lockers, but when the custodian opened them, there wasn't anything there anymore. It's clear that drugs had been there from the sniffer dogs' reactions, but all that's left is trace amounts, nothing we could prosecute with." He looked the principal in the eyes. "It's like somebody knew there was going to be a search, and dumped anything incriminating. You did lock the place down yesterday, didn't you? Before you handed out the sealed notices to the parents?"

"I did exactly as you told me. The notices were passed out as the children left the building. Nobody was permitted back in." Tasha was both indignant and astonished. "My vice-principal, Ed Convey was with me when we supervised the custodial staff, as was Ian Wright, who worked with your people during the search."

"Well, I guess you can let the students go back to class. Until we can get anything else, we're going to want to question the kids that are assigned" he paused to check the paper that his colleague had given him. "lockers 346, 670 and 429. Those are the three the dogs signalled at."

"Alright, I'll meet you at the office and get you those names." She returned to the lectern. "Okay, the police have finished their search. All of you are to go to your normal first class. No one is to leave school grounds without permission."

All around the room, students picked themselves up off of the floor. Sarah left the stage with the rest of the teachers, and made her way to her first geography class. As she passed by them, she saw the three young people whisper final words to each other. Ron and Leanne made a left at the first corner, headed for a class in another section of the building. Amy was on her way to Sarah's classroom, being a student in that class. Sarah considered pulling the young blonde girl aside and asking her just what she and her friends were up to. She decided, in the end, that it would be better to confront the threesome as a group.

xx

During the lunch break; Ron, Lea and Amy gathered at a corner table in the cafeteria. The young man had taken a seat where he could watch the rest of the room, and the teacher that was making rounds. Mr. Convey was prowling the tables at random, listening to various conversations.

"Okay, so now we know exactly what happened to Jeremy. I still don't see what you think we can do about it." Amy was picking away at the sandwich that her mother had packed for her. She still wore the nervous expression that had appeared back in the yard the day before. "We're just grade six kids. The older kids don't even know we exist, how are we supposed to figure out who is doing what?"

Lea put down the drink box she had been sipping from. "We have eyes don't we? All we have to do is watch the guys that don't seem to fit in. One of them has to be selling. If we don't see anything after a couple of days, we move on to the next one, until we see something." She took another bite of the cookie she had in her other hand. "Then we pounce on the guy and drag him down to Principal Ryder."

Ron followed the conversation and nudged Lea's knee with his when he saw Mr. Convey heading down the aisle towards them. When she was about to ask him what the deal was, she saw him look up.

"Hi Mr. Convey." Ron kept his tone casual, as if the three of them had been discussing nothing more important than the latest show on the cartoon network.

"Enjoying your lunch, kids?" The large man looked down at them absently. Every now and then, his gaze drifted over to a table of older kids.

"Yes sir." Amy gulped a bit of her sandwich down and smiled wanly at the teacher.

When the man had left their table, Ron looked over to the brunette next to him. "Lea, it's not that easy. I've been doing some reading on the internet. When drug dealers move into an area, they don't get pushed out easily. We try to take him on, and we could be in for some serious hurt. Remember what happened when you set that trap for the grade eight bully that was stealing lunches last month?"

"Hey, that would have worked if the rubber band hadn't broken! We still managed to prove it was Gonzales didn't we?"

"That's not the point. Whoever sold Jeremy the drugs isn't going to stop at trying to slug you with a text book."

"He's right, Lea." Amy pointed at Ron. "This is big, too big for us."

Ron looked to the door where he saw that Mr. Convey was speaking with one of the boys that he had noticed at the assembly. The man was looking down at him and shaking his head, while the boy had a hand in his pocket, as if reaching for something.

"_It might be bigger than we thought."_ he said to himself.

xx

Sarah Go was sitting at a the table in the staff lounge, picking at the lunch she had brought with her. She was still trying to figure out how to find the person selling the poison to her kids.

It was kind of funny really, how she had begun to think of them as hers. From the time she had left her family home, after that argument with Herb, she had sworn that she would never have family again. It just hurt too much when they left you, or when something happened and you weren't speaking to each other. She wasn't ready to deal with that kind of pain again. She was still trying to deal with it now.

Menlow and the twins had been to see her a few times since the first meeting at Bueno Nacho. They had been excited for her when she told them about the new career. Years of being heroes and villain just kind of fell away, and it was like they were a normal family.

Just before she got the job, the twins had helped Sarah move into a new apartment, a few blocks away from the school. She had gone to a thrift store and purchased a few pieces of furniture, nothing special but enough to get by. Menlow and the boys had chipped in and bought a few things for her as well. Several duplicates of William and Wes had made quick work of taking things up the two flights of stairs in the converted Victorian home.

Now, here she was, claiming the students as her own. In a few short months, she had acquired more family than she knew what to do with.

Packing the remains of her food back into the container, she got up and decided to relieve Ed of his duties in the cafeteria. She walked down the hall and was turning the corner when she saw her colleague in the doorway. An older student was approaching him. Sarah ducked back around when she saw the way Convey and the student were looking around, as if to check if they were being observed. From her hiding place, she could just make out their voices.

"Mr. Convey, I need some more. You told me that you would have it for me. I was lucky that the last stash was gone before this morning, and I never kept it in my locker." The boy reached into his pants pocket, and was about to withdraw it when the man shook his head at him.

"Not here!" he hissed. "You know how this works. Anybody finds out that I've been supplying you and your friends, and there is going to be some serious pain. Not just for you either! You meet me at the usual time and place, and keep your mouth shut." The teacher walked past the boy, as if he had never said anything.

The student continued out the door, and turned to the main doors leading to the school yard. He was muttering to himself about having to wait for everything.

Sarah stood with her back pressed against the wall. Ed Convey was dealing the drugs at Middleton Middle School! Unconsciously, her hands began to glow green. The man had the nerve to comfort Tasha the other day, when he knew all along what had happened! It was only through a massive force of self control that Sarah did not go after the other teacher and smash him down onto one of the tables. She laid her head back against the cool wall behind her and thought it out. If she went to Hobble or Tasha now, odds were he would deny anything, and there was not likely to be any physical proof of his involvement. In all likelihood, he had opened the lockers of all of the students that had been purchasing drugs. No, this was going to take something more.

Composing herself, Sarah rounded the corner at a normal stride. A few of the students in the cafeteria waved to her, those that had gotten to know her in classes. Others were still pretty freaked about a woman with green skin and the somewhat sarcastic humour. Naturally it was going to take time for her to really fit into the daily lives of teenagers. She walked up to Ed Convey and smiled at him, playing the part to the best of her abilities. "Hi Ed, I can take over here if you'd like. Why don't you go have your lunch?" She tried to read his face as he turned to her. _"Why don't I just feed you my fist before you go?" _Was there just the slightest hint of a nervous twitch?

"Thank you, Sarah. I've eaten already, but I do have a few things to do before my next class begins." Convey looked at his watch. "Things are pretty quiet, but you might want to watch that bunch of boys over by the vending machines. The grapes on the table look like tempting projectiles." He walked off down the hall towards one of the exits, the one to the staff parking lot.

While she was so involved in her own thoughts, Sarah never noticed the trio of students getting up from the corner table and going out another set of doors. Ron was leading the girls out into the yard on a search of their own.


End file.
